Untangling the Maze of Disability Laws
The U.S. Department of Labor recently released an online guide to help employers determine which federal disability laws apply to their businesses or organizations. Called the elaws Disability Nondiscrimination Advisor, it is a series of online questions to direct the user to the appropriate laws and to provide guidance on how they are implemented. It also covers situations where employers may be affected by rules that apply to federal contracting or receiving federal assistance. Once the laws that apply have been located, the user is guided through a summary of each applicable law and is directed to links that address the implications of each law for that type of employer. For example, the guidance on Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) discusses the ADA’s requirements for employers and also has references to public accommodations and to commercial facilities and links to a discussion of Title III of the ADA (which covers public accommodations and commercial facilities), which in turn includes a link to the Department of Justice, which enforces Title III of the ADA.
The DOL’s elaws Disability Nondiscrimination Advisor does not cover state or local laws, which may provide broader protection to employees than federal law. For information on Washington State disabilities law, go to the Washington State Departmentof Labor and Industries website for laws that are enforced by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (e.g., workplace injuries and safety). Go to the Washington State Human Rights Commission website for laws that are enforced by the Washington State Human Rights Commission (e.g., discrimination because of a disability). There are also articles about disability issues and related topics online on the Ogden Murphy Wallace website.
This posting is not legal advice, and is only a brief summary of a complex area of the law. Please keep in mind that the information cited in this posting may have changed after it was posted on May 5, 2010.
Tags: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, disability discrimination, Disability Discrimination Law Advisor, discrimination advice for employers, DOL advice on discrimination, Employment Law Guide, Washington State discrimination law advice
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
